Hangman's Noose
by Paradigm of Writing
Summary: In the ruined forest that held the wicked wicker tree stood a hangman's noose for all to see. Toil, toil, did the two boys climb, till one got caught and hung where the ground met the sky. Run and flee if you can, the hangman will forever be there to wait for you again. (For chimchars Broken Promises and Lasting Regrets contest)


**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new piece of mine called Hangman's Noose! It is a simple one-shot for a contest I'm in called The Broken Promises and Lasting Regrets contest hosted by chimchars. I don't know if I am the first person** ** _or_** **the only person who will post an entry, but glad to have this story out and up still the same! So, let's get this done. I had this idea from a few things, the Hanging Tree in the Hunger Games being one of them. Enjoy!**

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Execution.

What a... distasteful word, would you say?

In the town of Onett, inside the state Earthbound, lied a forest. This section of wood stood in silent darkness, never had leaves spring once from its decrepit branches. Only pallid blankets of snow and thundering crystalline drops of rain did the trees ever meet. One in particular became infamous for a series of public _executions_ , a word spoken like taboo in Onett. Grab the offender, tie the rough and messy blood stained rope around his neck, swing him up high, and let him loose. Hard to believe a few of things even went public back in the day. Earthbound had a history to... keep these events _alive,_ if you will.

This pillar of nature saw more crimson leaflets than any other drip down its crumbly timber façade, such things came to be only from hangings. It became known as the Hangman's Noose, common for the actual knot tied around the victim's neck. Hangman's Noose could be called the celebrity of Onett, as nothing ever too spectacular happened there. Until... two boys thought that the best revenge was served best cold, _and_ that it'd come from above.

Ness Mortmain. Geeky and bright. Commonly got the highest grades of the entire school body in the state of Earthbound, the boy had that much intelligence stored away. Discovered two new elements on the periodic table, both being called Mortmain A and Mortmain B as he had a terrible fascination with his namesake and tagged it onto everything he possibly could. How could a narcissist such as himself have any friends?

Glad to then show exhibit A, Mr. Luigi Delfino. Tall and lanky, loved the color green to death that he wore it with him no matter where he went. Emerald sweaters, olive scarves, verdant shoes. Diamond eyes that were benevolent to all, a smile that warmed the coldest of criminals, and bushy mahogany hair that blended into the trees of the Hangman's Noose forest. Best friends with the smartest man around since they were both twelve, and for four years straight, they kept that record up.

However, as rumored by Luigi, Ness had a horrible jealous side. Whenever someone scored higher than he did on a test, got a few more ounces of glorious praise than he did by an adult... someone would have to check behind themselves for an unwanted attacker as Mortmain would be on you, slashing every which way. A week before Hangman's Noose got to see more action than it had in over a hundred years, Luigi Delfino achieved a lethal goal. On a science project that the two friends worked together on, the boy in green scored a point higher than Ness on the write up after the whole shebang had been said and done.

Blood would drip down Ness's hands for sure, by the end of the week.

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"Of all the places we could pick to hang out, you choose here?" Luigi asked his best friend, ducking under a tree branch as the two walked into the entrance of Hangman's Noose forest.

"Why? Is there a problem?" Ness called back, who had run farther ahead up in the blending of the wood. Winter graced Earthbound, sheets of slick ice and frost kissing the ground every few steps. Luigi jumped slightly whenever his foot crunched down on a few frosted over leaves that snapped like brittle underneath his weight. The boy didn't even weigh a hundred pounds soaking wet.

"Umm... well, you know what they say about this place..."

"It is a historical site," Ness retorted. "So people died here? So what. People have died at our school before, y'know. Old teachers getting the green card to meet Jesus or whatever." the boy truly didn't care, only so his revenge could be... extracted per say.

"Can we just go back to your house and study chemistry?" Luigi rubbed his shoulder awkwardly. He hated the cold. Chilly weather did him no favors. Blood would stop being a heat source, homeostasis could fall out of balance, and there went the beating heart.

"Shut up and enjoy the view."

"There is _no_ view." his friend pointed out wisely.

Ness stopped, hands curled into fists, smile vanishing. He hated to be corrected by someone lesser of him. He felt his temperature rise, threatening to boil over so he could rampantly curse. He shook his head, saying nothing, but wisely continuing to trek onward. He knew where he was going. Revenge wasn't planned in a day, after all.

Luigi's curiosity was getting the better of him. He knew his partner could be secretive at times, always bent in work or one thing he truthfully did not care about. His left ear twitched, a sign he got when things didn't seem all too right. He paused to observe Ness up in front of him. Hands had been shoved into the pockets of jeans, the bending back of elbows. Head hung high, which would swing upward to observe something around him. The tree line. What was so damn specific about a stupid horizon you couldn't even make out? The curious boy shook his head. Musing over tendencies and details would get him nowhere.

After only ten minutes of walking, the raven haired brainiac froze dead center at his target. Luigi paused, noticing the abrupt movement, to then throw a gloved hand to his mouth. The infamous tree, Hangman's Noose stood in front of the boys, seemingly scowling as if someone dared disturb its slumber. The ground around the trunk of the tree looked dark and murky, stained a putrid brick color by the droplets of blood from the deceased which hung from the highest branch.

"Here? You _came_ to this place of all the spots in the forest?" Luigi shrieked.

"It's just a tree. What's the worst thing that can happen?" Ness smirked.

"Anything and everything. You have to be expect the worst."

"I think we should climb it to the top."

"The- the top?" Luigi squeaked.

"Yeah. You're the best climber in school. It is only thirty feet. It should be easy for you, no?" Ness complimented.

"I suppose."

And so the two friends decided to climb, toil and toil they did to the tip top of the tree where the lonesome branch stuck out to hang the dead man from its peak. The view honestly was breathtaking that high up. The forest had trees of all shapes and sizes, but only Hangman's Noose had the highest, even if thirty feet truly wasn't spectacular. The sun hid behind grey clouds in the distance. Barren stalks of wood met the boys face to face, and Luigi took a deep breath in.

"From down below, this place looks ominous. Up here? It is fascinating."

"Good," Ness smiled. "I hope you want to get a better look."

"Wh- what?"

Before the boy clad in green could blink, Ness moved in a flash to take whatever it was out of his pocket. _Rope_. He made it into a loop, before throwing it over his friend's neck. Luigi let out a choke, hands blindly swinging behind him to clock his friend in the face. Betrayal at its finest. Ness securely tied the noose around Luigi's neck before pushing his friend off the high point of the tree stump, which had little room for two.

Down the boy in green plummeted, where his face met the ground. Ness held the two opposite pieces of rope in his hands, hooking his legs under the branch so he didn't go flying down as well. The force of rope hurt his hands, burns scalding his fingertips. Raw violet marks marred his skin, when a loud thump by the base of the tree signaled that Luigi rather hit the bottom instead of swinging like he was supposed to.

" _Damn_." the raven haired boy hissed in his mind. That wasn't part of the plan. Looking over the branch, he saw his friend lying in the snow covered ground, dead. Hands sprawled out awkwardly, though it could be said they had been clawing at the ring of rope around his neck instead. More crimson leaflets decorated the pallid blanket below. Ness wiped his hands on his jacket, feeling better. "Now there isn't anyone to get higher grades than me. Sorry, pal." he called down, though he knew Luigi wouldn't be able to respond back.

A low groan came from under Ness, and the boy looked at the noise wildly. He cocked his head when he saw jagged splinters of wood breaking from the base of the tree. Hangman's Noose hadn't been used for so long, and the evident fact of how rotting did exist, the abrupt and rough force of a extra weight piled atop the tree caused it to buckle and split. Ness screamed as the higher part of the tree began to tip over, reminiscent to the Titanic.

The raven haired killer closed his eyes, knowing how gravity and inertia worked. This impact was going to hurt.

 _CRACK_!

The boy collided with the solid Earth, but instead of having a killer headache and a brutal bruise to line his crotch, _snap_ went his neck.

Ness laid limp in the snow, next to Luigi's body which had been crushed by the falling tree. A river of cardinal streamed from both bodies.

Just as Ness had betrayed Luigi, the Hangman's Noose betrayed Ness in the same cruel way.

Such was that revenge had been served cold. In winter of all times of the year to do it, too. How ironic.

The finest hour of his life, Ness Mortmain went from adrenaline filled to murderer, to the murdered. Hangman's Noose could be attributed one more execution. It had no partake in Luigi's. The intelligent asshole?

All the credit, which it proudly attached to its name.

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 **There we are guys! Hangman's Noose! Man, I hope this was enough to make you think twice of extracting revenge on someone if you are that type of person. Please don't, there are better methods. And also don't resort to such brutal methods too, golly. Hope you all enjoyed this, and thanks chimchars for hosting the contest. Love you all!**

 **~ Paradigm**


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